by Perry Rhodan
Rhodan's lean face, which had become angular under suppressed tension, was relieved momentarily by a fleeting smirk. "So Reg is playing games too. Okay, the time is up. Have you noticed that I've been stalling too?"
The telepath smiled. Yes, he had noticed.
"Let's go—and pray to God that we come out of this in one piece! The Earth is still far too weak to sustain an attack by one of the great galactic powers. With our space fighters we would be hopelessly outmatched by a real fleet. Come on!"
3/
She comported herself in a self-possessed manner, cool and arrogant. Nevertheless, whether or not she really had her nerves under control was questionable.
Thora, former female commander of the Arkonide space research cruiser that had made a forced lunar landing and had subsequently been destroyed by Earthmen, was again mindful of her origin. Her manner was brittle; more unnatural seeming than it was dignified. Thus, silently, she observed the scurrying Earthmen in the inner sanctum of their command center.
Rhodan had been unwilling to establish this most important control point underground. If the protective screen were broken through, by whatever power source, then the best subterranean bunker would be purposeless.
Thora's beautiful face, which gave no sign of her age, was like an expressionless mask. She had stated her demands. It depended now on Perry Rhodan to indicate just how ready he was to fulfill them. She felt uneasy among these terrestrials who hurried about so and made hasty calculations and carried on their heated discussions. As a lineal descendant of the Arkonide Empire's ruling dynasty, she had more than once expressed the opinion that the human race was very low on the evolutionary ladder.
Her gaze wandered to the founders and rulers of that miniature terrestrial state which was known as the Third Power. Her lips tightened bitterly. Granted, Perry Rhodan was a superior human. Now, after he had absorbed the entire wisdom of the Arkonide race through hypnotic learning methods, he had even evolved to a state that was beyond normal humanity. This was a man who could never again he taken unaware by any event. For this very reason, she thought, he should reflect a little more often on the fact that his knowledge and ability stemmed from the Arkonides. In grandiose fashion and with astonishing casualness he had taken over the total gifts of a science and knowledge that his species had been ignorant of only three and a half years ago. He juggled elementary powers and projects about in a manner that was breathtaking for the Arkonides. Be that as it might, she did permit herself the conclusion that Perry Rhodan was the only noteworthy individual in almost four billion members of his race.
The eager cooperativeness of Khrest, her scientific adviser and fellow being, filled her with scorn. The leading Arkonide scientist, the symbol of the mental superiority of the "Greater Empire," seemed to thrive once more under the influence of Rhodan's will. It was astonishing to what extent Rhodan could dominate the best mind of Arkon.
Thora bided her time in the background, absorbed in a strange mixture of love and hate for the man to whom, on the one hand, she would grant anything and, on the other, continue to deny. Boundless indignation and resentment were joined with an unbidden awakening of tender emotions in her.
On the concave output screen of the positronic robot brain, conclusive data symbols darted and glowed. Rhodan manipulated the controls with a trance-like infallibility. He controlled a machine whose consummate perfection had never before responded to a human command. Nevertheless, it responded.
The hoarse voice of a stocky, broad shouldered man rang out. "Warp rupture number 118!" he announced.
Thora was shaken. Reginald Bell, former captain in the U.S. Space Force and one of the Earth-lunar pioneers, now also demonstrated his legendary coolness under fire, which those who knew him had come to expect.
"Another hyperspace jump, the 119th transition," he announced even louder above the whirring and humming of the vast electronic installation. "That does it! It's senseless to monitor the reports any longer. Gentlemen, what do you say?" His glance darted between Perry Rhodan and Khrest.
The two men harbored different opinions. Rhodan got up from the swivel chair. "Do you agree, Khrest?" he asked pensively.
The Arkonide revealed traces of an excitement, very unusual for this completely reticent but amiable extraterrestrial. Rhodan felt that the Earthbound Third Power was at a turning point. So he said, "I believe that the second epoch of our enterprise has just dawned. Think about it. The reports from our robot station on Pluto indicate conclusively that the hyper disturbances detected by the warp sensors are located in the region of Vega. Further, it has been determined that countless spaceships have completed a hyperspace jump back into the normal cosmos. This means that unknown intelligent life forms are equipped with the means and power to investigate a probable Vega system. Be logical, Khrest. I value your understanding and tolerance. You have been of great help to humans and to the Earth in general."
"Then for once consider our special wishes!" Thora interjected from the background.
Doctors Haggard and Manoli quickly exchanged glances. Haggard frowned, perturbed. Undoubtedly, Thora was going to be difficult.
"Your special wishes were not possible to fulfill before," Rhodan retorted sharply. "The position of Earth in the galaxy must always remain secret. Three years ago the incident of the Mind Snatchers was enough for me. Khrest, you and your conjectures are on the wrong track."
"I am going to have to beg and implore you now, as I have before, to launch a flight toward Vega at once," Khrest persisted. "My calculations indicate precisely that the world I have searched for so desperately must be among the planets of that great star. Perry—at least once, heed my wishes! It has been almost four years, by Early reckoning, since we made a forced landing on the moon. That landing was never our intention. We came to this remote region of the galaxy in search of a planet whose inhabitants possess the secret of biological cell conservation. That means eternal life."
"You don't even know for sure if Vega has any planets at all," Reginald Bell interjected. "Your calculations may be right—so what? I see no reason to throw ourselves into this witch's kettle. The ships that have come there from hyperspace are probably not a threat to Earth at the moment, even though their arrival means that the location of Earth will eventually be exposed to discovery."
Rhodan maintained his disquieting state of silence. Below in the great conference room sat the heads of the world security and representatives of Earth governments. The alert had been on a global scale—and now this surprise turn of events!
"I hold to my opinion that these are Arkonide spaceships whose commanders have also been commissioned to search for the world of eternal life," Khrest asserted excitedly. Rhodan's iron calm seemed to upset him severely.
Again, the answer came from Bell. "Khrest, you don't believe that! We've all agreed that the once mighty and active race of the Arkonides was degenerating rapidly. Their mental decline was so bad only four years ago that they put out their maximum effort, just to pull themselves together long enough to equip their own research cruiser. Those characters that have jumped out of hyperspace into the Vega system have nothing in common with your own people. Trust my instinct in this. I reject the idea of launching the Good Hope on an interstellar mission, which would require a hyperspace jump. If our space warp sensor equipment can locate and take accurate bearings on their points of emergence, why shouldn't they be able to pick up our own hyper disturbance? That could betray the entire solar system. what the hell—what am I Security Minister for?"
Bell got up from the control seat. Above him the image screens of the hypercommunicators lighted up, responding to translight speed impulse. The message came in from Major Nyssen of the first space fighter group that the solar system was completely free of alien objects.
"There you are," Bell said bitterly. His water blue eyes glittered with animosity. "Khrest, I'm not going to be a party to sacrificing the Good Hope. The warp sensors on Pluto have now tallied up exactly 222 hypertransition
s, all in the near region of Vega. Are you seriously considering the idea of throwing the only major space vessel we have into that chaos? I think it's crazy?"
"Your opinion is by no means the deciding one, Mr. Bell!" Thora said acridly. Her manner had become more rigid, but her mask of inscrutability was gone. Her face revealed her emotions.
She was beautiful, thought Rhodan. It was a mental statement that often repeated itself automatically. He measured her through narrowing eyes.
When she noticed his rare smile, she faltered in midsentence. Her features tensed. She was suddenly nervous.
"Go on," Rhodan urged. "Anything else?"
Bell clenched his heavy fists. "I have nothing to say," he replied bitterly. Perry is the chief. Thora—even if you can't stand the sight of me, you should think of the spaceship at this moment. The Good Hope is our only faster than light vessel. You've got to realize that our luck to this point has been uncanny. When the first alarm signals came through from Pluto, I was already imagining an alien fleet over the Earth. It can't hurt either you or ourselves if we prefer to be a little overcautious. In about one year the new ship construction will be completed; then we can consider further steps. I'll be overjoyed if we're left alone until that time. We are just not armed for a serious engagement with alien intelligences. And under such a situation you want to do the very thing that we have avoided doing for three years, in the interests of safety—namely, make a hyperspace jump. Not to mention your goal of Vega, where at the moment a swarm of alien spaceships has appeared?"
Rhodan cleared his throat.
John Marshall grinned. Colonel Freyt, the newly arrived commander of the space fighter group, was amused at Bell's display of temperament during his speech.
"You give me no opportunity, Perry," complained the Arkonide. "For three years now you've denied me even short trips in the radius of fifty light-years."
"That's right. My own Curiosity has been restricted by a primary concern for the safety of Earth. You know full well that the quickest way for a newly developing center of power to get itself discovered is by causing a gravitational warp stress, which would happen if we tried a hyperspace jump."
"But we've waited long enough. I maintain again, as I have before, that the ships appearing in the Vega system are from my home planet. The spreading degeneration of our race is the very reason why we are urged and driven to preserve the remaining healthy members by means of a synthetic extension of life. In the ruling councils of Arkon, every last possible resource will have been dedicated by now to the discovery of the planet which holds the secret of cellular preservation."
Thora's voice was heard again. "I demand an immediate start! There is no doubt that we will be able to make contact with our own people in the Vega System. The hypnotic treatment you have received has given you all the knowledge that we ourselves possess; you have no further need of us. You can have the Good Hope, as a gift from me. Just be careful how you develop your so beloved mankind into a galactic power. To achieve such a goal you will have to first bring the primitive, instinctively motivated members of your species into a semblance of unity. You now have the means. So again—I demand that the star trip start at once, so that we can be delivered into the Vega system."
"Your ideas are idiotic!" Bell shouted furiously. "Do I have to say it in plain words? Your proud race of Arkonides has had it! I'm sorry, but it's time you got your eyes opened. I still have a vivid recollection of the gaping, zombie stares of your crew members on the wrecked cruiser. You and Khrest are lucky that your minds are still with you. Apply them, if you will, to some logical purpose, but not to crazy fantasies!"
The words were hard, almost brutal in their frankness. Rhodan still held off, waiting.
Thora trembled in every limb. Khrest seemed to crumble inwardly. He sank back helplessly. The command center was blanketed by an oppressive silence. Only the crackling of the galactic comstation penetrated here from the next room.
"Colonel Freyt!"
Rhodan's voice was cold and sharp. Freyt started, then automatically came to attention. Reginald Bell stared, wide eyed, at the face of the commander; he knew that look. Rhodan had been what the space force psychologists had referred to as an instantaneous-adaptive-mercurially, he could switch from absolute calm to effective action. This ability had been pronouncedly augmented by his hypno treatments under the Arkonides. He was now once more the all demanding, uncompromising commander who had no patience with back talk.
"Sir!" Freyt responded, swallowing hard.
"Order Major Deringhouse to return to base. He is to land immediately. Nyssen stays with his fighter group in the lunar orbit. Thank you. Captain Klein!"
Klein came to attention. The smoke gray eyes of the chief invited no question. Rhodan wasn't conscious that his will radiated a suggestive power that forced people to obey.
"Place emergency squads under Condition Twilight of the Gods. Fifty men are sufficient. You will be in charge. Also, reprogram 100 fighter robots to respond to your individual frequencies. We take off in exactly five hours. Thank you very much!"
Two white-faced officers left the room.
In Khrest's old-young face flickered new hope. He cautiously collected himself. "Thank you, he said in choked tones. "You will receive all the help conceivable in the Vega system. Under the circumstances I can arrange to have a heavy battle cruiser turned over to you. Under all circumstances, the Great Empire will protect the Earth. We will not forget what you have done for us. I—"
Khrest broke off under the tall man's surveillance. A spark of compassion glimmered in the remote corners of those bright eyes, which now seemed not quite so grim.
"Khrest, I am very sorry, but you won't find a single Arkonide ship in the Vega system. You are in error. Your race is no longer capable of launching such a major project. Remember that we have detected more than 200 hypertransit spaceships. Those are not your people."
Bell's husky figure pressed forward. "My thoughts exactly," he said. "So why, if I may ask, have you decided to go? Our detector data shows that we haven't been observed yet. What purpose can it serve to bring ourselves to the attention of this unknown force? I'm asking you, what can it accomplish? You are fully aware that these strangers have concentrated their hyper-entry on the region of Vega—not here. We've been wanting to make an interstellar hyper trip so bad we could taste it, but for good reason we've restrained ourselves for years. Has everybody gone crazy around here?"
"If I were a dictator," whispered Rhodan, "that would have been your last card." The disquieting smile was back again. "Has it occurred to you that you, too, have made a mistake in judgment?"
"Who—me?"
"Yes, you. The Good Hope will take off in five hours. Exclusively in the interests of Earth, but only for reconnaissance. As a matter of fact, I find it difficult to remain idle in the face of an alien invasion that is occurring only twenty-seven light-years away. It is definitely an invasion. Merchants and scholars don't appear in a massive commitment of obviously heavy class ships. And another thing..."
Perry Rhodan looked grimly about the room.
"One further consideration you missed, gentlemen! Somebody, though well acquainted with the star reaches of galactic space, has tripped over one little mistake. This invasion was aimed at Earth, not Vega. Somebody has made a slight miscalculation. By a fraction of a decimal point, the emergency call beamed out three years ago from the Arkonide cruiser has been mistraced. In terms of galactic distances a small error in hyperspace navigation could result in missing the target by twenty-seven light-years. That's why we will investigate what is going on out there. Gentlemen, the Second Epoch has begun—or you might call it the Second Crisis. Mr. Marshal, announce me to the waiting delegates."
Rhodan now in uniform, slapped on his service cap, saluted lightly, and strode toward the heavy bulkhead of Arkon steel. Behind him the room was pervaded by a brittle silence, which was shattered only seconds later by a scornful laugh.
Reginald Bell stood
defiantly in front of the complicated scanner consoles, watching him go. "If you're right, sir, then I've nothing more to say. But if alien intelligences are attracted to the Earth through this madness, then I will have to describe the chief of the Third Power as an irresponsible kid. By your leave, Commander—if any subordinate officer made such a mistake, I'd haul him before a military court-martial on the grounds of willfully endangering global security!"
Dr. Manoli clutched at the arms of his chair. His lips trembled as Perry Rhodan turned around slowly.
Rhodan's gaze was enigmatic, his voice quiet and even. "I'd do the same, Reg," he said. "'Exactly the same."
He turned briskly. The armored bulkhead hatch slammed shut behind him. The saluting Arkonide fighter robots suddenly lowered their weapon arms. The chief was gone.
"God knows you're certainly not a psychologist!" murmured Dr. Haggard. For three years he had been Health Minster of the Third Power, as well as the founder of the world famous Arkon Clinic.
The heavily built giant moved toward the armor plate door, and Manoli, former ship's doctor of the Stardust, followed him silently. Reginald Bell watched them gloomily. Then his gaze fell upon the two Arkonides.
He was beginning to understand why Perry Rhodan had finally given up his longstanding resistance to a translight space flight—why he had to give it up. The possibility of turning Khrest and Thora into bitter enemies of mankind must have been a greater deciding factor for Rhodan than the probability of being detected by alien beings...
The thundering of the mighty pulse drive propulsion system was like a roll of drums from invisible giants. With a roar of intolerable sound, the Good Hope lifted from its cradle inside the great, domed defense screen. As the upper curved hull of the sixty yard diameter space sphere threatened to contact the gleaming force field of the screen, the positronic robot brain cat the power, with the infallibility of a nerveless machine.
